What Movie Are You Watching?

Sorry, i'm a bit behind up to the point, i've seen a further 7 films (10 if you include ones i've seen before at the bottom), so might do another big post in the upcoming days!

1) I'm So Excited! (Pedro Almodóvar, 2013): Almodóvar's first comedy in almost two decades seemed to get pretty poor reviews (for him), but I was genuinely surprised at how fun it was! I guess after making 7 or 8 serious dramas, the need to get silly is overwhelming. It's short, frothy and lots of fun!

2) Morocco (Josef Von Sternberg, 1930): This was quite an important film back in the day; the first of 6 collaborations with Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich. This is a tough one, because it's actually a pretty boring film in places, but on the other hand, there are some amazing scenes. This is back when the 'talkies' were still finding their feet, so i'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

3) Godzilla vs Megalon (Jun Fukuda, 1973): Godzilla #13 might be the worst of the lot. For an 85 minute film, this sure dragged badly and most of it is footage from previous Godzilla films! Good lord!

4) Sweet and Lowdown (Woody Allen, 1999): A top-tier Allen film! This is a quirky little comedy about a womanising musician in the 1930's falling in love with a mute woman. It's gently quirky and sweet and just the tonic I needed on a bad day!

5) Abnormal Family (Masayuki Suo, 1984): I've long had an interest in 'pink eiga' (basically softcore movies. As long as the film was between 60 - 75 minutes, was under a certain budget and had a sex scene every 10-15 minutes, you were free to do what you want!), but all of them i've seen so far haven't been that great. This film spoofs the works of Yazujiro Ozu, but with more sex and nudity. To be honest, considering it was only an hour long, it was pretty damn tedious!

6) You, The Living (Roy Andersson, 2007): This is a Swedish comedy that is a little hard to explain seeing as it consists of unrelated sketches, but ultimately have a core theme running together. This wasn't a "funny" comedy, but it was very well made and had lots of dry bits that made me chuckle quietly. Very droll, very quirky!

7) To The Ends of the Earth (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2019): This is the last Kurosawa film I have to watch and it was wonderful. The drama was a co-production between Japan and Uzbekistan to celebrate many years of post-war peace and is about a shy TV presenter getting lost in the Uzbekistan city and trying to overcome the customs and language barrier. I saw a lot of myself watching this in that whilst visiting new places is exciting, it can also be scary when you don't understand the customs and assume the worst. Kurosawa is a bloody talented director and i'd love to watch more of his works!

8) Amadeus (Milos Forman, 1984): I've had this on the back burner for ages as the thought of watching a 3 hour film about Mozart would be dull, despite loving some of Forman's other films (One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest & The People vs Larry Flint). Indeed, the first 1/2 hour was a struggle, but before I knew it, I was hooked! I'm not really into classical music, but I did think the music was great and you could see why it won so many Oscars!

9) The Wild (Steve Williams, 2006): I thought Chicken Little was the worst Disney "classic" i've ever seen until I witnessed this cinematic equivalent of an STD. I hated everything about this film; obnoxious characters screaming all the time, lame jokes that insult the viewer's intelligence, a story that riffs on much better films and dialogue that just seems pathetic; "Your dancing is so awful...it's so....80's". There was no passion in this film whatsoever and the CGI has aged badly. The director was credited as Steve "Spaz" Williams; in the UK, 'spaz' is a derogatory term for someone who is mentally handicapped. Suffice to say, the next film in the 'classic' series was a million times better.

10) Nimic (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2019): This is a short film from the director of 'The Lobster' exclusively on MUBI (my streaming site of choice). It's only 10 mintues long, but it's pretty cool. Kinda creepy, especially as it's set during the daytime~

I've also watched some old favourites on days when i've been feeling down; Lethal Weapon 1 & 2 (Richard Donner, 1987 & 1989) still hold up very well (I love all 4 of them) as does A Fistful of Dollars (Sergio Leone, 1964). Even though I had 55 of them on DVD, I bought a 63-disc Clint Eastwood blu-ray boxset as a(nother) treat to myself. Sometimes I wonder if i'm *too* kind to myself, or perhaps i'm telling myself that when I eventually move out, i'll no longer be able to make such extravagent purchases, so do it whilst I can!
 
Spaz is not just a derogatory term in the UK ;)

And wow, just seeing how much they've milked Gojira throughout the years is hilarious (I know little to nothing about the series); 85 minutes and mainly footage from previous films!? Wow lol
 
@Truck_1_0_1_ - Oh really?! I thought it was just an English thing. At any rate, I don't find many things offensive (I have a gallows sense of humour), but that's one of the few things that upsets me. And yeah, the Godzilla films were pretty notorious for reusing footage to save money; at the time many Japanese people stayed at home and watched TV, so they had to cut corners! So i've watched another 10 films (technically more as I now include ones i've seen already that I know what I think...curse my OCD!)

1) Ocean's 11 (Lewis Milestone, 1960): This is the original Frank Sinatra film that became the basis of the remake some 40 years later. I must admit, it's a pretty slow film and not as entertaining as I would have liked, but the 2nd half of the film is really fun. And seeing the Rat Pack together on screen confirms how cool they were!

2) Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla (Jun Fukuda, 1974): #14/15 of the Showa era. I was quite excited to see this one as the thought of a robot Godzilla was always cool. Years ago, before I even saw a single Godzilla film, I was quite mesmerised by MechaGodzilla! This one was much better than the last few films :)

3) A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence (Roy Andersson, 2014): This is quite a famous film in the art house scene, but having watched Andersson's previous film already, I felt a little disappointed with this. Don't get me wrong, it's still a great film, but it's very similar to "You, The Living" to the point it felt like a remix film than anything else. It feels and acts similar which is great as it's more of what I liked, but some bits didn't work, so it's a lesser film IMO.

4) The Kid With A Bike (Luc Dardenne & Jean-Pirre Dardenne, 2011): I've seen 'Two Days, One Night' before (see bottom) and this is one of two films of theirs i've had the opportunity to watch. I'm noticing a theme in that all of the films are very intimate dramas where bad things happen to good people. These are real acting films and it was great to see it was not a fluke. Not the easiest film to watch, but as far as acting goes, it's a real humdinger.

5) Meet The Robinsons (Stephen Anderson, 2007): After the shitshow that was "The Wild", I went into this Disney film with the lowest of expectations. I was genuinely surprised at how good it was. Don't get me wrong, it's a 3/5 at most, but there was a charm to the film that I found quite appealing. The CGI hasn't aged well, but it has a heart, so I can recommend it.

6) Mank (David Fincher, 2020): Fincher is an odd director in that I never seem to get excited with his films. Then I watch them and think "that was brilliant". Sadly, it's not the case here. Nearly everything works; the acting, the cinematography, the score, the set design - all brilliant, but all throughout I just thought "what's the point of this film?" I think Orson Welles is pretty overrated (even though 'Citizen Kane' is one of the greatest films of all time), so even though it was about Citizen Kane, it just felt a pointless film. I can't put my finger on it. What a shame.

7) Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Afterglow of Zeon (Takashi Imanishi, 1992): This is a cheat, because I watched the 13-episode OVA before watching this compilation film. As a standalone film, it's not very good, because cramming 5/6 hours of complex mecha action into a 2 hour film doesn't really work, so whilst I can't recommend the film itself, I can recommend the OVA. I'm a huge late comer into Gundam, but in the last year i've really gotten into it, so have bought 6 boxsets!!

8) Terror of MechaGodzilla (Ishiro Honda, 1975): The final Gojira film of the Showa era and also the last to be directed by the original director and again, this was good fun. I wish I enjoyed these films more than I wanted to, but every film had pacing issues - which for a 85 minute film isn't good. Still, i'm glad I watched them. I have a few more kaiju films in my backlog (non-Godzilla), so it'll be interesting to see how they pan out.

9) A Short Film About Love (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1988): I've yet to watch a bad Kieslowski film! I wasn't sure how I felt for the first half of the film as both the main characters are very unlikable, but as the film went on, I was quite hooked. It's not a film about love in the romantic sense; Kieslowski is too cynical for that! Again, this is a great acting film!

10) Cold Meridian (Peter Strickland, 2020): I'm a big fan of Strickland's work (last year's 'In Fabric' was one of my films of the year), so I feel bad for saying his new (7 minute) short is shite. It's about ASMR and the use of sound effects to create a response. Now I hate whispering and a lot of ASMR noises make me feel uncomfortable, so whilst on a cinematographic level, watching someone washing her hair for a few minutes was strangely hypnotic, the fact that everything sounded like walking on rice krispies made me anxious. Good grief!

I've also watched a dozen Mickey mouse shorts from the late 30's and early 40's which are wonderful. That said, he's not the most interesting character and I find that any shorts with Donald Duck in are infinitely better!

Of films i've seen before since my last post, i've rewatched Lethal Weapon 3 (Richard Donner, 1992), Two Days, One Night (Luc Dardenne & Jean-Pirre Dardenne, 2016), For A Few Dollars More (Sergio Leone, 1965), and Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988). All are fantastic films. Die Hard is one of my all time favourite films and watching it on the big screen for the first time was a massive joy. I know the film off by heart, but I'm still bowled away by how efficient everything is; there is barely anything in the film that could be taken away. It's wonderful <3
 
I would love to watch Die Hard on the big screen! We're watching it tonight, as it is always the final Christmas film we watch before the big day.

And I agree with you; there are literally a handful of minor things that don't sit well with me with the film, but they are minor and borderline nitpicky; it is a brilliant piece of celluloid from top to bottom.

Again, I deem it, Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park to be the 3 best Action films ever; just brilliant.
 
among others i saw The Hill (1965) - british army prison movie ( where awol / criminal soldiers would end up). staring sean connery.. very good film but quite a depressing. at the end of the film, i felt like i had been in prison lol.

and another classic, the untouchables(1987). i saw it many year ago but it's still a great film, all the acting it's top notch, sean connery and Kevin Costner are great.

ive only got 2 more sean connery films i really want to see. the name of the rose & the wind and the lion ( which is on tv soon :D) - the name of the rose (dvd) is at a premium on ebay at the moment..i might end up buying a vhs copy lol.
 
Untouchables is indeed a great film; some scenes are a bit over the top and hammy, but it is a great flick to watch with its great leads and Costner is a superb actor.
 
Been in a bit of a film watching mood lately. Been going through my Arrow Video Blu Ray's

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1.) Weird Science - Still might be my favorite John Hughes film. From the awesome Oingo Boingo theme to just the ludicrous Frankenstein's monster premise of creating a super hot woman and in turn having that woman teach you a thing or two about life. It's ludicrous B-movie at heart and still has the heart of all the best John Hughes teenage films. Plus, Bill Paxton being turned into, well, this:

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2.) Mallrats - I really love old school Kevin Smith. I maintain to this day that Clerks, Chasing Amy and Dogma have a special place for me. Everything else is largely hit or miss, but those three films do hold a special place for me. Mallrats was the red haired step sister for me. I never gravitated to it as much as Clerks or especially Chasing Amy (Chasing Amy might go down as being one of my favorite films of all time), but I couldn't pass up the Arrow re-release of Mallrats.

It has grown on me a little more over the years although I still consider it Kevin Smith's weakest film, but there is a certain 90's charm to it that appeals to my nostalgic side now more than ever. In some regards, time has treated it well. At least in terms of geek culture now being so mainstream and the topics of conversation about "Superman blowing a load like a shotgun" seem more relevant and timely than ever before. That and Jason Lee is really charming in the film and the soundtrack is nostalgic 90's goodness for this 90's kid. But still, there is no denying it is his weakest movie. It has moments of comic genius in its dialog, but the slapstick was rough back then and perhaps even rougher now.


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3.) Chasing Amy - Watching Mallrats made me want to throw on Chasing Amy afterwards. This film still holds up so beautifully to me. It's a brilliantly told tale of Male Sexual Insecurity. It's less about Lesbian Falls For Guy and more about male sexual insecurity and it is a topic I could relate to. The fear that your partner has done more or experienced more than you have and how that fucks with the ego. I would still consider this Kevin Smith's best film to date and it truly is one of my favorite films of all time. It's so well written and so well played and that ending still lands (for me) after all these years. It's bittersweet and very, very heartfelt.

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4.) Climax - Back to the Arrow Video Collection. I sat down and re-watched Gaspar Noe's Climax and finally got around to watching every extra feature on the disc. If you know anything about Gaspar Noe then you might know what to expect. An orgy of sex, drugs and punk rock-like violence. Or more appropriately in this case, a collective of dance music in place of the punk rock. Gaspar Noe is one of my favorite film makers of the modern era. His camera is completely unflinching and very willing to take you to the most uncomfortable of places. If you've seen I Stand Alone, Irreversible or Enter the Void then you'll know what I'm talking about. But what really gets me about this film aside from the seamless one take nature of his camera movements are the dance numbers.

This film starts with a near 6 minute dance number and it's one of the best things I've seen committed to film in quite some time. Then the film descends into hell as the Punch gets spiked with a fuck ton of LSD and everyone starts tripping balls. The film goes from fucking Step Up to straight up Evil Dead Cabin in the Woods shenanigans as everyone fucking loses their minds as they trip balls under the influence of LSD. Might be my favorite Gaspar Noe film, or at least his most re watchable film. If you have an open mind and are willing to be taken on a ride then by all means watch it.


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5.) Border - I'm a huge, huge fan of horror author John Ajvide Lindqvist. The man is responsible for one of my all time favorite horror novels -- Let the Right One In -- and I've been a huge fan ever since I read that book years back. So I was super excited to see they made a film out of his short story Border. I saw it once before at a Swedish film festival and I really loved it back then. Finally got around to re-watching it and it holds up. One of the most unique horror films I've seen in quite some time. In the simplest terms it is both a love and coming of identity story of a woman who learns that she is not quite human. It's a hard one to describe without giving too much away as it is a fairly simple story in nature. I think it's a fantastic expansion of the short novel and they bring to it an element of pathos that actually makes sense with the nature of the story its telling. I really don't want to give too much of this one away. But if you're into Swedish folklore and have an open mind then definitely check this one out.


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6.) Let the Right One In - Speaking of John Ajvide Lindqvist. I went back and re watched Let the Right One In. I haven't seen it in a few years and I wanted to see if it held up. The Swedish version is easily in my top 10 films of all time and less said about the "me too" American remake the better for me (I don't hate Let Me In but it did feel very uninspired and "me too" without ever taking a risk to me.) I genuinely adored every frame of this film when it came out and I was a little scared to revisit it for fear it wouldn't hold up. Thankfully it did. I was moved by it just as much as the first time I saw it. It remains both a very sweet but also kind of disturbing-if-you-think-about-it coming of age story of a bullied boy who befriends a vampire. While I don't think it ever reaches the book, I still think it's a very faithful adaptation and gets the core of the novel 100% right.


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7.) Orgazmo - It's low brow as all hell. It's so incredibly rough around the edges. It's Matt and Trey before they figured out all the quirks in their brand of comedy. Occasionally brilliant. Often rough around all edges. But damn if I don't still chuckle at it. There are moments of Matt Stone and Trey Parker brilliance within even if it doesn't always land. I mean, the opening theme song "Now You're A Man" is worth it alone. Not to mention the "I am Sancho!" scene.



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8.) Cheap Thrills - This has been sitting in my "to get to" pile for a LONG time and damn I'm saddened I didn't get to it sooner. This was fucking brilliant! A pitch black comedy about two strapped for cash guys being lulled into a twisted game of Who Dares Wins with dire consequences. I was hooked from beginning to end. The casting is brilliant in this movie. Especially Ethan Embry.

I've always had a soft spot for that guy thanks to my love for That Thing You Do as a kid and holy shit was he good in this movie. Not to mention David Koechner as the obscenely wealthy game master. I'm used to seeing Koechner play supportive roles in a variety of comedies, but here, he takes it up another level and underneath that Frathouse "Bro" veneer lies a sinister force of evil who has no remorse and no pity for the poor saps that he is leading down the hole of despair. Yeah, this was totally worth the watch! I LOVED this film. It was right up my alley. Shame I didn't get to it sooner, but I'm glad as hell I did!

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9.) Cobra Kai Season 1 -- technically not a film, but I figured it was worth mentioning. I binged watch the entirety of Season 1 the other night to take my mind off, well, other things. I almost wrote this off. I had heard the hype surrounding this but had no interest in seeing it.

Don't get me wrong, I loved The Karate Kid 1 and 2 like anyone else, but I thought Cobra Kai was gonna be another new Star Wars trilogy thing where they waste the original cast while slyly promoting the new bland boring cast of proxies to take front and center focus.

Also, I thought without Pat Morita that the charm would be completely missing in any Karate Kid follow up. I was wrong! So wrong! On all accounts! Not only does it find the right balance between the new and old cast, it also has the spirit of Miyagi all over it! There were moments where I was getting chills as Daniel and Robbie were training with that classic Karate Kid soundtrack in the background. The Miyagi magic is all over this show!

But more than that, I really like the direction of this show with regards to Johnny and his story. It's an interesting dichotomy in the sense that the show questions both Johnny and LaRusso's methods but never demonizes either. It makes an argument for both Miyagi's zen-like approach to martial arts but also makes a solid argument for why Johnny isn't necessarily wrong either and that sometimes it is maybe better to stand tall and be assertive. It's an interesting take on both philosophy's in finding that ying-yang balance. Clearly in another world Johnny and Daniel would have been the best of friends but were unfortunately torn apart by the difference in their paternal figures. And this show surprisingly does a great job studying that. I was genuinely blown away by the quality of this! Bring on Season 2! I'm totally ready for more of this! I'm glad they proved me wrong on this one!


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10.) First Love - New film by Takashi Miike. Think True Romance by the way of Takashi Miike and there you have it. I actually quite enjoyed this. At the age of 60 and with over 100 films under his belt, the man is still capable of Directing some slick work when called of him. I mean, sure, it never reaches the heights of his late 90's creative peak. But it's a fun little genre flick none the less.

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11.) Cold Fish - I actually know the guy who wrote the screenplay to this film. I had seen the film before meeting said guy randomly in a Japanese bar (I'm still friends with him to this day and have gone out drinking with him a number of times in Japan). Based on a true story, it's a story of a meek fish store owner who slowly finds himself tangled in a web of murder at the hands of a rival fish store owner. It's very nasty and very much up my alley. Well directed by Sion Sono and well written by Yoshiki Takahashi. If you like crime stories and don't mind some nasty shit, give this one a look.


....and I'm spent. Will report back when I have watched Cobra Kai Season 2.
 
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Some great titles on your list, fantastic to see you enjoy the films!

Cold Fish got heavily-recommended to me when I watched Tokyo Tribe and Why Don't You Play in Hell?, both Sono films and both brilliant, thus I may check out Cold Fish at some point.!
 
@danielmann861 I'm a big fan of Arrow Video, but they do have a habit of using terrible artwork for their films! I'm a big Kevin Smith fan too. I have a massive soft spot for Jersey Girl and Mallrats, but Clerks is king! I went to one of his live Q&A's and the 2nd question was regarding why there was no commentary for 'Zack & Miri Make A Porno'...it took him 45 minutes to answer it :ROFLMAO:

I'm desperate to watch Climax as I think Gaspar Noe is a great director. My God his films are hard to stomach though. I put off watching my DVD of 'Irreversible' for years until I was brave enough to watch it. It's a great film, but it made me feel incredibly dirty afterwards. 'Enter The Void' is good, but was a bit overlong and 'Love' was ballsy, but the nonstop real sex got a bit tedious after a while.

I'll give a thumbs up for 'First Love' too! It was one of the last films I saw before lockdown and I think it's amazing. Miike is such an interesting director and even if he does something crap, it's still fascinating!

Finally Cold Fish is great, but it's very hard to stomach. I'm quite a fan of Sion Sono; 'Tokyo Tribe' is one of my favourite films of the last decade and 'Love Exposure' absolutely blew me away (a 4 hour film that didn't feel like a 4 hour film). Like Miike, he's so prolific that even if something isn't great, it's still interesting to watch!
 
bcdcdude said:
@danielmann861 I'm a big fan of Arrow Video, but they do have a habit of using terrible artwork for their films! I'm a big Kevin Smith fan too. I have a massive soft spot for Jersey Girl and Mallrats, but Clerks is king! I went to one of his live Q&A's and the 2nd question was regarding why there was no commentary for 'Zack & Miri Make A Porno'...it took him 45 minutes to answer it :ROFLMAO:

I'm desperate to watch Climax as I think Gaspar Noe is a great director. My God his films are hard to stomach though. I put off watching my DVD of 'Irreversible' for years until I was brave enough to watch it. It's a great film, but it made me feel incredibly dirty afterwards. 'Enter The Void' is good, but was a bit overlong and 'Love' was ballsy, but the nonstop real sex got a bit tedious after a while.

I'll give a thumbs up for 'First Love' too! It was one of the last films I saw before lockdown and I think it's amazing. Miike is such an interesting director and even if he does something crap, it's still fascinating!

Finally Cold Fish is great, but it's very hard to stomach. I'm quite a fan of Sion Sono; 'Tokyo Tribe' is one of my favourite films of the last decade and 'Love Exposure' absolutely blew me away (a 4 hour film that didn't feel like a 4 hour film). Like Miike, he's so prolific that even if something isn't great, it's still interesting to watch!
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Yeah I hear you on Arrow's artwork. I tend to flip the covers over to their original artwork and leave it at that. At least they do give the option of reversible covers with the original artwork.

Me and some friends have been to two Kevin Smith Q&A's here in Australia. You're right. I asked him a question about Red State when it was in script stage and it was about a 40 minute answer. he gave for something that should have been a quick answer...but entertaining none the less. :D

I think in terms of running time, Climax is Noe's tightest film since I Stand Alone or Irreversible. It feels the right length and doesn't outstay its welcome. It is pretty brutal though. I don't think it's as brutal as Irreversible (nothing could be), but it still has some pretty fucked up shit within it. As is typical with Noe. But the dance numbers really are something to behold in this film. And some of the later moments when they're all tripping balls can be equal parts disturbing and kind of hilarious.

I'd agree with Enter the Void being overlong, but I would also argue it serves its point seeing that the film could be read as the last 7 minutes of the dying brain and how those last 7 minutes can feel like an eternity. I've actually only ever watched it once and have never gone back to it though. Just because of the 144 minute run time. I remember liking it the first time around though and thinking it was impressive on a technical level. There's some really beautifully shot moments in that film. I liked Love well enough. It felt like the filmic equivalent of The Beetles song "I want you." I actually saw that at a film festival in 3D surrounded by 300 or so other "degenerates" :D, but I do agree it was a bit overlong. For me, Gaspar Noe works best at a 90 minute level. It's why I still consider I Stand Alone, Irreversible and Climax to be the perfect run times for him. They do what they need to do without over staying their welcome.

Glad to see more love for First Love. :) What fascinates me about Miike is his ability to change gears so easily and yet still have it feel like a Miike film. This is a guy who can direct something as innocent as Ninja Kids but also have something as demented and brilliantly subversive as Ichi the Killer under his belt too. And yet, both being as different as can be still feel distinctly Miike.

Yeah Cold Fish is quite nasty and after talking with Yoshiki (its screenwriter) about it, well it's not hard to understand why it got so nasty. They didn't hold back with the detail in that film. In fact, from what he has told me, his original script was apparently nastier than the final film. Let's just say those girls working for Murata's fish store had a much more significant and more fucked up role in the original script. Something that was kind of implied in the film but never explored.

But I think it has some amazing performances. Denden is fantastic as the overly enthusiastic, fast talking, sleazy as all hell fish store owner. That performance alone I think is worth watching this for. I actually still haven't seen Love Exposure. I've seen a few of Sono's films. I've seen Suicide Circle, Himizu, Why Don't You Play In Hell?, Guilty of Romance and Tokyo Tribe. I really like both Himizu and Why Don't You Play In Hell?

Guilty of Romance was intriguing in subject matter but a bit too overlong for me. But you're right. Always an interesting director to watch. Much like Miike.
 
I Got Sriracha In My DNA said:
Not movies I've watched recently but just saw an article that Criterion is going to release a Wong Kar Wai set on blu ray in March. Totally pumped about it and looking forward to rewatching Chungking Express and Fallen Angels.
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Yes, I can't wait for this. I want to watch 'As Tears Go By' again so bad. I am always a bit funny with Wai's work; it took me 3 attempts to finally consider 'In The Moon For Love' a masterpiece (the rapid editing was always a bit odd for me haha)

@danielmann861 - thanks for your reply! Plenty to respond to, but i'll have to do it later haha!
 
bcdcdude said:
Finally Cold Fish is great, but it's very hard to stomach. I'm quite a fan of Sion Sono; 'Tokyo Tribe' is one of my favourite films of the last decade and 'Love Exposure' absolutely blew me away (a 4 hour film that didn't feel like a 4 hour film). Like Miike, he's so prolific that even if something isn't great, it's still interesting to watch!
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I was amazed when I saw the running time for Love Exposure lol, but now seeing you write that it doesn't seem as long, I may pick it up!

And to your bold, I am a MASSIVE Tokyo Tribe fan; Santa Inoue is highly-underrated and after watching the original anime and reading parts of his original manga, it made me appreciate the live-action film even more.

It's too bad I got into the film in 2016, because its world premiere was at TIFF here in Toronto, in 2014; I would've gone nuts if I saw it in person. It does have a few moments of being over the top, but it is such an enjoyable film from top to bottom and the way Sono incorporates the music into the scenes and the like, it is fantastic: I have had the entire soundtrack on my iPod since I watched it in 2016.

The anime is also, again, REALLY good as well and Merra is even more cool and badass than he is in the live-action film.

Side note, I have a Saru shirt (like the one that Kai wears in the film/anime/manga), 2 Waru hoodies (one a knock-off from Red Bubble and the other, a legit one like what the Waru wore in the film), a Saru face towel, Tokyo Hands Shirt and a sick Neighbour #13 shirt (Santa Inoue's other known manga/anime).

Big Fan! :D
 
@danielmann861 - So, the version of 'Enter The Void' i've seen is 161 minutes! It really is a trip, but I think towards the end I had enough. But in a way, I get why it had to be that long!! Climax is high on my list as one of my best friends is a big fan too. 'I Stand Alone' is his only other full length film i've not seen.

As for 'Love', i've seen quite a few films with unsimulated sex scenes (like 'In The Realm of the Senses') and it is quite shocking at first, but after a while it becomes a bit numbing. I guess you're not meant to feel aroused. It's funny; i'm OK watching stuff like this, but I can't stand sex on TV shows or sex involving young adults* (exception below)!

Yes, I love directors that are bipolar in their approach (like David Lynch can do Blue Velvet and The Straight Story or Martin Scorcese can do Mean Streets and Hugo!), so directors like Miike and Sono excite me greatly. I've seen 'Anitporno', 'Tokyo Vampire Hotel' and 'The Land of Hope'.

@Truck_1_0_1_ - Do give Love Exposure a go :) I just love how over the top it is (!) It is also mega fucking ballsy to have the opening credits an hour into the movie haha!

I've decided to now include films i've watched (marked as [RW]) that i've seen before as it's getting too complicated splitting them haha

1) Bolt (Byron Howard and Chris Williams, 2008) (and Super Rhino - Nathan Greno, 2008) [RW]: I've seen this back on its cinema release and watching a 2nd time I think it's weaker than I remember. It feels somewhat derivative, but there is a little charm to it and the songs are cute. The short film 'Super Rhino' was inconsequential, but amusing.

2) American Pie Reunion (Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg, 2012) [RW]: I said that i'm not keen on sexual content involving younger folk, but the American Pie series was always exempt because when you boil it down, a lot of it is rather sweet. I was worried that this would not hold up in 2020 and whilst I was thinking "oh, that's pretty sexist" or "that wouldn't slide in 2020", I still found myself laughing my head off. The first 2 AP films hold a special place in my heart, because as gross as it is, there is a warmth to them. If that warmth wasn't there, the films would fail greatly.

3) Stroszek (Werner Herzog, 1977): The main actor for this film is fascinating. He is not a professional actor, but the way he speaks and acts is hypnotising; this is middle-grade Herzog. I blame myself for forcing myself to watch his films when i'm not really in the mood, but this is no disgrace. There are some amusing and sad scenes here.

4) A Short Film About Killing (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1988): This was filmed at the same time as 'A Short Film About Love' and both films are extended versions of a 10-part TV series. I fell asleep part way through the film, but like 'Love', this film was gripping. The use of old school filming techniques and faded colours give a muted, dark feel. This was a grim film to finish off first thing on a Saturday morning!

5) The Unknown Girl (Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne, 2014): Like the other 2 Dardenne films i've seen, this is excellent. Proper actor films! This one has more of a detective/mystery feel to it, but it's also sad that the film highlights how selfish people can be.

6) The Princess And The Frog (Ron Clements & John Musker, 2009): This was a great film in that it went back to traditional cel animation (and is sadly the last one in the mainline Disney canon). I must admit, i'm not keen on the south (I'm sorry, I hate that terms like "y'all" are ubiquitous these days, but as the film went on, I was drawn to its charm. Again, the songs are sweet. I wish Disney would do more cel animation these days.

7) Lethal Weapon 4 (Richard Donner, 1998) [RW]: This film holds a special place in my heart as I was of the age where watching '15' rated films was within my grasp. It didn't bother me at the time I never watched the other 3, I just fell in love with it. Watching it for the first time in a decade (along with the other 3), it pleased me that I remembered so much, but also how charming and funny it was. I also watched the 2 hour documentary on the history of the series and you can see how much love the cast and crew hold for these films.

8) The Dance of Reality (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 2013) [RW]: To say that this film is probably Jodorowsky's most mainstream film is telling...considering it consists of a woman who only talks in operetta, a scene where she urinates on her husband to bring him back to life, amputees fighting each other, torture sequences involving genitalia etc. When you then learn this film is an autobiography of Jodorowsky's life, his father is played by his son, the Fruedian undertones are insane! It's also fantastic <3

9) Small Time Crooks (Woody Allen, 2000): This is middle-tier Allan. Charming, quirky, slightly amusing, but ultimately middling. Not much else to say really! His films are a warm hug to me (unless it's one of his depressing films!)

10) Laura (Otto Preminger, 1944): I love hard-boiled film noir and this one is a cracking little thriller. Nice twists, nasty dames, nasty guys - just what I wanted! I have a boxset of 1940's and 50's noir films to get through and I cannot wait!!
 
@bcdcdude Yeah, having said that, I think it might have been the 144 minute version I saw at a film festival. There are two versions of it. The 144 minute version omits the Zombie Sequence, I know that much. I can't remember which one I saw though. I saw it at a late night screening. We went in at 11pm and came out around 2am in the morning. But I don't remember the zombie sequence being in our screening so I'm pretty sure it was the 144 minute version we got. I have the Blu Ray of it but I'm not sure if its the 161 minute version or the 144 minute version on said Blu Ray? Either way, it is a LONG film and it can be exhaustive. Hence why I've never watched it again. A technical marvel of a film but one that really is exhaustive.

It was interesting seeing Love with a crowd. Yeah, I've watched my share of Pink Eiga films and risque stuff so I'm used to watching anything with unsimulated sex but I usually watch that stuff in the privacy of my own home. But I made the trip out to see Love with a crowd just because of the 3D aspect. The idea of Noe working in 3D was intriguing to me. Anyways, it was a screening with lots of uncomfortable laughter from the audience. Especially at certain shots involving ejaculation directly into the camera. LOTS of nervous and uncomfortable laughs to break up the tension in that crowd.

BTW, I thought it was Ballsy of Noe to put the opening credits of Climax 40 minutes into the film but seems Sion Sono went even further with Love Exposure's opening credits an hour in. Should really get around to watching that one of these days.
 
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Well, let's go again in this thread.

1.) The Faculty -- The Breakfast Club meets The Thing/Invasion of the Body Snatchers...the most apt way to describe it. Always had a soft spot for it. It's one of the better efforts of the 90's horror revival. One of my favorite Rodriguez films too.

2.) Home Alone -- It's a Christmas tradition. Home Alone is watched every Christmas by me. As I get older, it's the definitely the elder cast I find myself more drawn to. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern really make the most out of the small screen time they get. Catherine O'Hara's great. And John Candy's one monologue about leaving his kid at a funeral parlor is worth it alone. I miss that man so much. I mean, Culkin does well enough for his age at leading the film but it really is the elder cast that grows on me more and more with every year as being the real MVP of this movie. Also, that one church scene between Culkin and Roberts Blossom really is the stand out scene of the movie. So perfectly scored by John Williams and a really sweet and heart felt exchange between those two. That scene alone is worth revisiting the movie, I feel.

3.) Home Alone 2 -- While Home Alone is probably the more pure of the two. There is apart of me that maybe has a little more love for Home Alone 2's comedic side. Yes, the Pigeon Lady doesn't quite have the same heart felt effect that Old Man Marley has, but Home Alone 2 is graced with Tim Curry's presence and, in many ways, is a bit funnier than the first one. Just because there does seem to be some self awareness from the elder cast as to the repeat nature of it and they do seem to have a bit more fun with the premise this time around. Also, I'm a sucker for Daniel Stern being walloped in the head repeatedly with bricks :D Guess I am a Sadist at heart. :D

4.) Bad Santa -- Billy Bob Thornton cussing up a storm always warms the bitter old cynic in me :LOL: Again, I knew from the first time I saw it that it was gonna become one of those films I always watch around Christmas. Director Terry Zwigoff's wry sense of humor really does fuel this. I'm a big fan of Zwigoff's previous film Ghost World and the much overlooked Art School Confidential as well. His films have a real wry sense of humor that appeals to me. People say this is an Anti-Sentimental Christmas. I'd disagree though. In the most unlikely of bonds between an alcoholic deadbeat and a chubby weird outsider of a kid forms the slightest of beating hearts. Yes, it doesn't throw the sentiment in your face, but it is most certainly not without some sentiment. There is a beating heart to that odd friendship that really does emerge, but never loses its alcohol and vomit stained edge either. One of my favorite Christmas films and another I come back to every year.

5.) Miracle of 34th Street -- The original; Not John Hughes solid but still disappointing remake. A Classic. And another that I find myself revisiting every year.

6.) Santa Claus Conquers the Martians -- Yet another that gets a yearly revisit from me for all the wrong reasons. But I love it for all those wrong reasons.

7.) Batman Returns -- Yet another sentimental "Not really a Christmas film but I still watch it every Christmas because it is set at Christmas" films. I make no apologies for saying that Batman Returns really is my favourite Batman film. Warts and all. Yes, Nolan's films are objectively better Batman films, but Batman Returns is just so bloody gonzo. It amazes me to this day that Warner Bros basically gave Tim Burton a blank cheque to their biggest franchise and what he made for them was almost a fetish film :LOL: But I don't say that mockingly. It really was Tim Burton just doing whatever he pleased and no wonder why it got so much backlash. It's not a perfect movie by any means. Most of its problems really are centred around the Penguin.

The movie wants us to sympathize with him even though his actions are clearly monstrous all the way through out. I get he is the tragic result of his parents abandonment but at the same time, I think it was a missed opportunity to not play on that a little more. Everything else is great though. I LOVE the portrayal of Selina Kyle/Catwoman in this film. Her and Bruce's relationship is fucking perfect in this film! They nailed the hell out of that dynamic. And Christopher Walken as Shreck is always good! Warts and all, it's still my favorite Batman film and I'll stand by that.

8.) Better Watch Out -- I caught this randomly on TV on Christmas Eve. I had heard of this before but had never gotten around to seeing it. I don't want to say too much about this because I think the less you know going in, the better it will be. But it starts off as one movie and then completely turns it on its head and becomes something else. And is surprisingly entertaining for doing. It's basically a home invasion film and that's all I'll say about it. Surprisingly entertaining though where it does end up. I'd say give it a look just don't read much into it before hand as it would be very easy to spoil. Just let it take you where it takes you.

9.) National Lampoon's Vacation -- As you can see I kind of have a thing for John Hughes movies. Vacation is a staple of my childhood. I grew up with these movies thanks to my Dad's love for them and that love became my love. It will be Chevy Chase's defining role for me. I know people may say Fletch for that, but Chevy Chase will always be Clark W. Griswald to me. I think this one stands the test of time. It still holds up really well.

10.) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation -- Again, a family tradition. We usually make sure to watch this every Christmas night as it broadcast on TV every Christmas night here in Australia. A family tradition. We quote this all day, especially Randy Quaid's Uncle Eddy. A yearly tradition in my family and one we made good on last night.
 
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I've been waiting on some theatrical animes that was suppose to air but covid has delayed them indefinitely. But here's some trailers of what I'm waiting on or will watch when I can find the opportunity:

Violet Ever-garden:


Heaven's feel:


Weathering the Storm with You:


Her Blue Skies:


Our Youth's Feelings:


Camelot Wandering; Agateram​



And some more in the backlog but I'm trying to finish some project I'm tied up in atm before resuming them.
 
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